Come Back Home
by domina tempore
Summary: A story about J/T; through "Reunion". Birthday present for Grannanatlanta. :D ON HIATUS.


_Author's Note: This fic is a birthday present for a wonderful friend of mine, Grannanatlanta. You rock, girl! :D Much love and good wishes! _

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**Come Back Home**

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John Sheppard had never much been one for goodbyes.

His last goodbye had been for his mother, when she died. When he had left his home for the military, he hadn't said goodbye. When he and Nancy had divorced, they had each gone their separate ways without even a backwards glance. When he had left for Atlantis, he hadn't even told anyone that he was leaving; he had left that job to the military. But he couldn't possibly leave Atlantis to go back to Earth without saying goodbye to Teyla.

He had tried, with all of his strength, to avoid seeing her again before he left; he didn't think that he could deal with saying goodbye to this woman, too; he did _not_want his last memory of her to be sadness and pain. So he had hidden, and tried to avoid her after she and Ronon had come to visit him; he couldn't deal with another moment like that.

But he found, as the time for their departure grew closer, that neither could he bear to go without seeing her again.

He struggled with the choice for the last two days that they were on Atlantis; he couldn't see her, but he couldn't not see her. He wasn't sure which one would hurt more.

In the end, he didn't really have a choice. When he got to the gateroom Teyla was there, and seeing her, he realized that he couldn't be content just seeing her; he had to talk to her now, and not just replying as she thanked them all for what they had done in Pegasus. That was not enough. He needed it to be personal.

Hardly sure of what he was doing, he stepped towards her; and when she realized what he was doing, she moved forward to close what remained of the gap between them, smiling fondly.

They met in the middle of the floor, and bowed their heads together.

"Farewell," she whispered to him. John smiled sadly.

"Take care," he replied.

That was it, the extent of their conversation. They let their heads touch for a few more minutes, then they parted, and he stepped through the stargate. It hadn't been a long goodbye, full of words and tears; and to John, it didn't really feel like "goodbye". It was more like "Be safe until I see you again". And he found that he could be okay with that; because he believed it. He _had_ to believe it. He couldn't afford to not be sure that he was going to see her again one day.

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Teyla hated goodbyes.

She hated knowing that someone was leaving; with that knowledge always came the fear that it would be their _last_ goodbye. But she had found them to be necessary. If she _was_ going to lose someone, she could not bear to think that she had not said goodbye to them first. She had not had a chance to say goodbye to her father; and that knowledge tortured her every day, even all those years later.

When she'd found out that the ancients were making everyone leave and go home (or in her and her people's case, to a new world), she made a point to talk to every member of the expedition team that she had known and worked with, and to wish them good luck and tell them goodbye. She hoped that this would not be the last time that she would see them; but life in the Pegasus galaxy had taught her that nothing was certain; and no one could promise her that any of them would come back. And in good conscience, she could not let them leave without speaking to them one more time.

She and Ronon had gone to visit John briefly, but that was not the goodbye that she had planned on, nor would she leave it at that. The man was her best friend, and he deserved her loyalty. She could not go with him, but at the very least she would see him off.

In the gateroom, she thanked Elizabeth and Rodney and Carson and John once again for all that they had done for her. When she had finished speaking, John stepped up to her, surprising her for a second. But then she realized what he was doing, and she smiled a little as he bowed his head to touch hers.

"Farewell," she murmured, hoping that that one word would be enough, that he would understand. He had always understood her better than any of the other Earthlings...

"Take care," he replied. Teyla could hear sadness and affection and pain in his voice, and she suddenly realized a little bit what she meant to him. She nodded a little bit, promising him that she would. Until they saw each other again.

As she stepped back and watched them go, she was surprised to find that she had no doubt in her mind that she _would_see John Sheppard again. She had said it to him when she and Ronon had gone to see him; but she realized now that she had actually meant it, completely. She didn't know how, or when; but she did know that she _would_ see him again.

TBC

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_A/N: Hopefully the next bit should be finished soon ;)_


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